Dodgers Injury Notes: Romo, González, Urías, Kazmir & More

With the official halfway point of the 2017 season now only a few weeks away, the injury report of the Dodgers is beginning to show a few signs of improvement, although a handful of the lingering ailments are of the more severe nature and are considered long term.

Segedin underwent wrist surgery in late May and had already been on the 10-day DL while dealing with turf toe. With his 60-day transaction being retroactive to April 19, he may be able to return sometime this July once he’s fully recovered from his operation, but there’s no firm timetable for rehab work currently set. One wonders with the improved hitting of Enrique Hernandez and the emergence of Chris Taylor‘s ability to man more and more spots each day if Segedin even has a shot at returning to the big league roster at all.

Ethier has not partaken in any baseball activities yet and is not expected to return until sometime after the All-Star break. The 35-year-old veteran has been sidelined since spring training, and it doesn’t seem like he’s making any progress at all in his recovery process. A firmer timetable for his return should be revealed once he’s able to increase his participation in workouts.

The latest news on Kazmir is that he’s been throwing with a weighted ball at extended spring training in an effort to increase his velocity. Manager Dave Roberts indicated that Kazmir, who has been sidelined all season with hip complications, has been throwing a 90-to-92 mph fastball, which is fairly consistent with what he’s thrown the last four seasons. That could signal that Kazmir is nearly ready to begin a minor-league rehab assignment, but Roberts provided no specific timetable for that activity beyond suggesting that it would happen relatively soon.

After receiving more than one medical opinion on his injured back, Gonzalez was indeed diagnosed with a herniated disc, and could be headed for an injection over the coming days. Roberts said there may be a chance that Gonzo could return before the All-Star break, though the team won’t commit to any type of official timetable right now.

Romo made his first rehab appearance with High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday night, starting the game and throwing two complete innings, allowing one run on three hits with no strikeouts or walks. After making perhaps one more precautionary appearance in the minors, Romo may be ready to return to the big league squad sometime early next week.

Urias is suffering from inflammation in his shoulder, not structural damage, though he doesn’t have a timetable for a return. The consensus on the 20-year-old lefty seems to be that he’ll be eased back into the OKC rotation after being shut down and rested for a few weeks.